Thai Criminal Court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant for Apiwan Wiriyachai, former deputy House speaker, Pheu Thai MP and red-shirt figure, after the police charged him with lèse majesté.
Apiwan Wiriyachai (Photo courtesy of parliament.go.th)
On 29 January, a person filed a lèse majesté complaint with the police, accusing Apiwan of giving lèse majesté speeches on 29 January 2011 at a red-shirt rally in the lower northern province of Phetchabun.
In the speeches, Apiwan spoke about people who "ordered the killing" and "ordered the shooting" in the military crackdown on red-shirt protesters in 2010.
The politician was also summoned by the junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), but he did not report. It is believed that he has left the country.
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